Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron claimed Olympic ice dance gold over Madison Chock and Evan Bates by a razor-thin margin, instantly igniting debate across the skating world as judging splits raised eyebrows and key technical moments were heavily scrutinized by commentators

French Ice Dancers Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron Perform at Olympics After Scoring Controversy

Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron won gold in ice dancing on Feb. 11, by just 1.42 points more than Team USA’s Madison Chock and Evan Bates

Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of Team France perform in the Ice Dance routine during a Figure Skating Exhibition Gala on day fifteen of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on February 21, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron perform in the Olympic figure skating exhibition gala.Credit : 

Jamie Squire/Getty

French ice dancers Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron returned to Olympic ice for a final time, and for the first time since the controversy over the judge scoring that earned them gold.

2026 Winter Olympics: The dance against the clock of Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry

Fournier Beaudry, 33, and Cizeron, 31, performed in the figure skating exhibition gala at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Saturday, Feb. 21, skating to “Metamorphosis” by Mad Rush. The exhibition gala takes place at the end of every Olympics competition and typically involves the medalists from each event performing a more relaxed program, sans judging.

The duo were met with light applause as they performed a dreamy, romantic routine.

2026 Winter Olympics: The dance against the clock of Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry

Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron won gold in ice dancing on Feb. 11, snagging the first place spot over Team USA’s Madison Chock and Evan Bates by just 1.42 points. But controversy soon swirled over their score — a 225.82, despite significant synchronization errors from Cizeron in his twizzles — and that they were still scored higher than Chock and Bates, who had a clean skate.

As the score breakdown came out, skating commentators noticed a clear shift in the scoring from the French judge, Jezabel Dabouis. She gave Chock and Bates a 129.74 for their free dance, the lowest score of all nine judges and more than five points lower than the average. Meanwhile, Dabouis gave Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron a 137.45, nearly three points higher than the average.

Gold medalists Laurence Fournier Beaudry and partner Guillaume Cizeron of Team France on day five of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games on February 11, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
Gold medalists Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron.Matthew Stockman/Getty

Chock and Bates were asked over the next few days if they would appeal the score, but U.S. Figure Skating decided against it. The U.S. duo said to reporters after that they felt they did everything they could with their skate, but admitted to feeling “disappointment” in an interview with PEOPLE a day after the final.

“I think there were a lot of emotions flooding through us yesterday. I think there was some disappointment for sure,” Chock said, before pausing to collect herself amid tears. “It’s been a long journey, but I certainly have a lot of pride for what we have accomplished, and who we’ve become on the way to those accomplishments. So in general, [we’re feeling] gratitude.”

EN IMAGES. Le sublime gala pour clôturer les Mondiaux de patinage artistique avec Cizeron, Fournier Beaudry et Malinin

Along with the on-ice drama, Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron were the subject of off-ice controversy before the Olympics began. For Fournier Beaudy, the conversation has centered on her boyfriend and former ice dance partner, Nikolaj Sørensen, who was suspended from the sport in 2024 after he was accused of a 2012 sexual assault of a former skater and coach. He previously denied the allegations, and she has supported him publicly.

Cizeron, meanwhile, was accused of being “controlling, demanding and critical” by his longtime partner Gabriella Papadakis, with whom he won the gold medal at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, in an interview last month, ahead of the release of her memoir So as Not to Disappear.

The former skater wrote that she felt like she was under Cizeron’s “control” and that she was “terrified” at the idea of being alone with him. Cizeron has called her accusations a “smear campaign” in a statement to Reuters and said that he was pursuing legal action.

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